Several Web sites that require users to log in with their PennKeys for access - including PennPortal and Blackboard - were unavailable for several hours on Sunday afternoon due to problems with the server that allows for PennKey authentication, according to Robin Beck, vice president for information systems and computing.

Thhhwack! That's the sound of bare skin against foam padding as I smack the daylights out of an oncoming assailant. Don't worry. Hidden behind the pads is none other than my smiling instructor, Michelle Ray. This simple exercise is part of my first lesson in physical self-defense.

Who knew SEPTA went to Turkey? While I've never actually been to the land of hummus and ottomans, Konak restaurant certainly met my expectations. Owners Melek Basaran and her daughter Aysa Atay have transformed one of Old City's many cramped buildings into a palace.

Pennsylvania's putting all its votes in one basket. A recent report issued by Common Cause and the Verified Voting Foundation identified the Keystone State as one of 17 states at "high risk" for voting-machine problems. The reason? While voting machines in Pa.

Achieving an atmosphere that is both cozy and sleek can be a difficult task. But for Twenty Manning, a neighborhood bistro whose menu combines traditional American cuisine with Asian-inspired dishes, doing two things at once seems to be no problem. Tucked into 20th Street between Spruce and Locust streets, the restaurant maintains the elegance of the surrounding Rittenhouse Square.

With the addition of the Radian to residential options, sororities are having an unusually difficult time filling their houses for next year. Because rush occurs during the spring, many girls have already signed contracts for housing next semester. Most off-campus leases are signed during the fall, as are contracts for in-house room change.

Several Nursing students may be traveling to rural areas in Honduras - but that won't stop them from blogging about it. As part of the Nursing course, Infant and Maternal Care in the Americas, nine Nursing undergraduate and graduate students will help out in underserved communities in Honduras to improve health care, particularly in midwifery, for two weeks this May.

The flat-screen television flashing with vivid images of superheroes and Charlie Brown seemed out of place at the time-worn Kelly Writers House last night as Pulitzer Prize-winning artist and author of Maus Art Spiegelman presented "Comix 101." The presentation was a condensed history of comic-book evolution intertwined with his personal experience writing graphic novels.

Junior co-captain Craig Andrzejewski has a brother on a professional lacrosse team, but he's not letting that overshadow his own accomplishments: Craig is making a name for himself as the Quakers' offensive leader. After his brother D.J. departed for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse following the 2005-06 season, Andrzejewski (pronounced andrew-JEFF-ski) assumed a starting role.

Last Monday, Karl Rove addressed students at Connecticut preparatory school Choate Rosemary Hall, in a lecture setting. Rove had originally been penciled in as Choate's commencement speaker but accepted the less glamorous engagement after a swell of student and parental protest.

It's no secret that the top summer internships are often unpaid. But what's less known is that many students must pay their universities to receive the academic credit that some employers - wary of labor laws governing unpaid internships-require as a condition of the job.

When your team is a double-digit underdog, allowing Saint Joseph's to shoot 63 percent from the field and letting Pat Calathes and Darrin Govens drop 26 apiece isn't exactly a winning prescription. But then again, La Salle coach John Giannini is the one with a Ph.

If you're looking to get out of the city for a bit and you're ready for a little adventure, Max and David's in Elkins Park, Pa. is just the place for you. Not only is this newly opened BYO kosher - a perk for those like me, who keep these strict dietary regulations - but it is also a culinary experience you will likely not forget.

Penn students like green, and they're not waiting until incoming students get here to spread the message. Members of the Undergraduate Assembly passed a proposal last Sunday evening supporting the creation of an environmentally themed pre-orientation program.

When Wharton sophomore Dennie Zastrow was applying to Penn, his parents encouraged him to select Wharton to boost his chances of finding a good job. Two years later, it's that career-minded focus that's driving him to get out. Zastrow, who is currently trying to transfer into the College, said he was turned off by Wharton's emphasis on finding the right internships and jobs as early as freshman year.

When I made my reservations at Fork, I was a little wary. While I had heard only good things about the downtown eatery, all of that positive press came from my female friends. Fear gripped me on the cab ride. Could the chefs there serve up a man's meal? Would I be surrounded by roundtables of 30-something-year-old single women? Was a Big Mac combo soon to follow my dinner? Needless to say, my questions were answered by the sumptuous food and warm yet serious ambiance.

Akhen Wilson, 29, of the 6200 block of Osage St., was arrested by Penn Police for allegedly assaulting two Penn Police officers during a motor-vehicle stop Saturday evening, according to Sgt. Charles Layton of the Philadelphia Police. The assault took place on the 3700 block of Chestnut St.